A University of New Orleans telephone poll of 325 registered voters puts Governor John Bel Edwards’ approval rating at 38-percent, down from 56-percent in a similar poll conducted in 2020. Pollster Ed Chervenak says 31-percent of whites approve of Edwards, compared to 55-percent of blacks and age appears to influence perceptions of the governor’s performance…
cut 11 (08) “…18 to 44”

Last year, Governor Edwards vetoed a bill that would allow non-felons to conceal carry a firearm without a permit. That legislation is back this year and Oil City Representative Danny McCormick’s constitutional carry bill will be heard today in the House Criminal Justice Committee…
cut 7 (11) “..amemdnent rights

Cleco announces the company will invest 900-million dollars to reduce carbon emissions at the largest of its nine electric generation units in Louisiana. CEO Bill Fontenot says the work done at the Brame Energy Center in Lena will remove and compress 95-percent or more of the C-O-two emitted and store it in geological formations under the site. Fontenot says nearby private industries can also take advantage…
Cut 4 (12) “…economic development.”
Cleco has named the project Diamond Vault and estimates it will create up to 40 direct jobs and an average of 11-hundred construction jobs in cenla over a three-year period.

A Baton Rouge mom faces 11 counts of cruelty to a juvenile after the S-U-V she was driving flipped over several times. 34-year-old Leticia Brothers had all eleven of her children in the vehicle, but none of them were seriously injured. Central Police Chief Roger Corcoran says the kids were not buckled up…
cut 15 (05) “…can happen”
The Advocate reports that in 2015 the state removed Brother’s nine children from her home after they were found with little food and no beds.

A new University of New Orleans research poll shows falling approval numbers for Governor John Bel Edwards. UNO political science professor Dr. Ed Chervenak says fewer than 40-percent of persons surveyed said they approve of the job Governor Edwards is doing…:
Cut 10 (12) “…the death of Ronald Greene.”
A similar poll in 2020 had Edwards’ approval rating at 56-percent.

One of the governor’s goals is for Louisiana to be a net-zero emission state by 2050. Cleco is helping the state reach that goal by announcing a 900-million dollar emissions reductions project at a power-generating facility in Rapides Parish. Cleco CEO Bill Fontenot says they are also committed to reducing emissions
cut 6 (12) “….by 2050”

Bills to allow non-felons to conceal carry a handgun in Louisiana without a permit are scheduled to be heard in committees today…
Cut 2 (33) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

An East Baton Rouge Grand Jury has found 23-year-old Dyteon Simpson of Baker guilty of killing former LSU basketball player Wayde Sims. Simpson faces a mandatory life sentence for fatally shooting Sims who prosecutors say was intervening in a fight just off of Southern’s campus in September 2018.

A new UNO survey shows Governor John Bel Edwards’ approval numbers have taken a nosedive. More from Kevin Gallagher….:
Cut 3 (33) “…I’m Kevin Gallagher.”

Gas prices keep falling. According to Triple-A, the statewide average price for a gallon of regular gasoline is down to $3.88, which is eight cents cheaper than a week ago and 27-cents lower than a month ago, when the state hit a record high of $4.15 a gallon.

The House Criminal Justice Committee is scheduled to debate a bill this morning that would remove the need to have a permit in order to conceal carry a firearm. Governor John Bel Edwards vetoed this bill this year because he believes strongly in the current law that requires training in order to get a concealed carry permit. But Oil City Representative Danny McCormick disagrees…
cut 8 (11) “…..be a problem”

A one-vehicle accident in East Baton Rouge Parish involving 11 children results in the driver, Leticia Brothers, who is also the mother of all the children, facing cruelty to juvenile charges. Central Police Chief Roger Corcoran says when officers arrived on the scene Sunday night they noticed an SUV had flipped several times.
Cut 13 (09) “…by AirMed.”
The children’s ages range from 4 to 16 years old, but they are expected to be okay.

A pre-pandemic report indicates 57 percent of Louisiana’s children live in households below the ALICE threshold. Brooke Thorington explains.
Cut 1 (34) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

Energy provider CLECO announced today it will invest 900-million dollars to significantly reduce carbon emissions at its electric generation unit in Lena. Cleco says it will build a carbon capture and sequestration facility to remove and compress 95-percent or more of the C-O-2 emitted in geological formations under the site.

NBC News reports the wholesale price for eggs is up nearly three times over this time last year. According to the U-S-D-A, the major reason for the price spike is an outbreak of avian flu that has affected 24 states and more than 46 million birds. Louisiana Ag Commissioner Mike Strain says measures and guidelines are in place to help stem the tide.
Cut 7 (12) “…with their flock.”
Strain hopes by acting quickly, a much bigger outbreak can be avoided.

A Lafayette Police officer is said to be fighting for his life after a two-vehicle crash on the Basin Bridge in Iberville Parish yesterday morning. State Police spokesperson Taylor Scrantz says Lt. Todd Alcorn was off-duty and driving a personal vehicle when he struck a bridge rail and lost control…

Cut 12 (07) “…Malibu”
Scrantz says Alcorn is in critical condition at a Baton Rouge hospital and the driver in the other vehicle sustained moderate issues. He says they believe Alcorn was impaired at the time of the wreck.

New Orleans Democrat Karen Carter Peterson has resigned from the Louisiana Senate after 23-years in the legislature. Peterson says she needs to focus all of her energy on her struggles with depression and gambling addiction. Last week, she spoke about her recovery on the Senate Floor and hopes her battles with addiction helps others.
Cut 12 (10) “…with the disease.”
But the Advocate newspaper reports Peterson’s abrupt resignation is because she’s under a federal investigation due to financial issues linked to her gambling.

A report, conducted before the pandemic, indicates 57 percent of Louisiana’s children live in households below the ALICE threshold. ALICE stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. Edy (Edie) Addison with the Capital Area United Way says the study took a deep dive into who these children are.
Cut 3 (10) “….are working.”
Addison says the report is concerning because ALICE households often earn too much to qualify for public assistance like food stamps and having two working parents doesn’t guarantee financial stability.

In an effort to make the drive along the Atchafalaya Basin Bridge safer, one Senator is proposing legislation to significantly increase speeding fines. Brooke Thorington explains.
Cut 2 (32) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

A Lafayette Police officer is said to be fighting for his life after he was involved in a two-vehicle crash on the Basin Bridge in Iberville Parish yesterday morning. State Police Lt. Todd Alcorn was off-duty and driving a personal vehicle when he struck a bridge rail and lost control. He was also struck by an oncoming vehicle. A state police spokesperson says Alcorn was likely impaired.

Houma Representative Tanner Magee, who chairs a special House committee investigating the 2019 State Police custody death of Ronald Greene, says it was an appropriate decision by Colonel Lamar Davis to put L-S-P’s second in command on administrative leave. Magee says Lt. Colonel Doug Cain should not be actively working if he’s under investigation for having his cell phone data cleared…:
Cut 15 (07) “…all day long.”

Senate President Page Cortez wants to increase the fines for speeding on the I-10 Atchafalaya Basin Bridge. The speed limit on the bridge is 60 miles per hour for cars and 55 for trucks. Cortez says speeders on that stretch of roadway believe they are saving time
Cut 10 (10) “…being killed.”
Cortez’s bill calls for a speeding ticket on the basin bridge to be five times the standard fine imposed. That would be $875 for first-time offenders.

A bill to create Education Savings Accounts, to help give parents more school choice options, clears the House Education Committee. Kevin Gallagher reports…:
Cut 1 (35) “…I’m Kevin Gallagher.”

A wind advisory is in effect for most of north Louisiana today and southwest Louisiana. Strong winds have led to power outages. SWEPCO is reporting nearly three thousand outages in the Shreveport area. The biggest chance for severe weather this week is Wednesday.

The second in command at State Police, Lt. Colonel Doug Cain, is on paid administrative leave as he’s under an internal investigation into why he had his state-issued cellphone wiped clean as information into the L-S-P custody death of Ronald Greene became public. A special House committee looking into Greene’s death, tried to ask Cain about the sanitizing of the phone, but Houma Representative Tanner Magee says Cain didn’t provide answers because of the L-S-P led investigation….
cut 15 (08) “…avoid answering questions”

Senate President Page Cortez is proposing to up the fine for speeding on the I-10 Atchafalaya Basin Bridge to 875-dollars for first offenders. Cortez’s legislation also calls for eight sets of speed limit signs equally spaced on the basin bridge…
cut 9 (08) “…..high fine”
The proposal is awaiting a hearing in the Senate Transportation Committee.
Several school choice bills are being discussed in the Louisiana House. The legislation would give parents the option of using state dollars from an education savings account to leave a public school to attend a private school or receive special tutoring or services. CEO of the Pelican Institute Daniel Erspamer is behind the idea of public education funding following the child; not the school. He says the bill would give parents – on average – an extra $5500 a year for kids’ education choices…:
Cut 6 (13) “…to every family.”
But Louisiana School Superintendents Association executive director Michael Faulk says there are financial uncertainties with the legislation…
cut 7 (08) “….gonna do it”
The House Appropriations Committee is set to discuss school choice funding today.